Integrating tinypilot into Existing Navigation Setup

[bobmor99]

Trying to figure out the best way to keep things simple.
Would really like to keep routers and OpenPlotter out of the picture.

Pre-tinypilot config: 
Quark-A027 acquires AIS, GPS and Seatalk wind and makes that info available as NMEA 0183 via WiFi ad-hoc connection with cheap Android tablet (no GPS), running Dave's Android OpenCPN (AO) in cockpit.

Now, in addition to receiving GPS, AIS and MWV, AO needs to send APB and XTE messages to tinypilot (TP). 

New config 1:
Quark sends GPS, AIS, and MWV (wind) to TP via USB. TP repeats these messages out via TCP port 20220. AO connects to TP access point to receive GPS, AIS and MWV and to send APB and XTE messages to TP. Currently, TP is not repeating AIS messages out port 20220 so AO is AIS-unaware. Possible TP fix in the works.

New config 2: 
AO and TP (reconfigured as a client) each connect to Quark (192.168.1.100) via WiFi ad-hoc connections. TP will always be assigned 192.168.1.101 if it is first to connect and AO would then get 192.168.1.102. However, no traffic (pinging or otherwise) passes between ...101 and ...102. I guess that's the nature of ad-hoc connections. So, this configuration is a no-go.

Thanks in advance for any comments or suggestions.

--Bob M

[seandepagnier]

This is not the nature of ad-hoc. It is the nature of the quark AP that apparently doesn't forward traffic between clients. ad-hoc mode is not AP mode, so if the quark can actually do ad-hoc mode, can it also connect as a client?

In ad-hoc mode, there is no access point. So all 3 devices in ad-hoc you can communicate between any 2 without the third one powered. This is the best mode to use on a boat but it is very under utilized because of the manual setup required. There would be no need to use usb either.

In this mode quark could send AIS MWV GPS to tinypilot (which ignores AIS) over wifi. Send these to AO over wifi also. Then in AO, receive from tinypilot to get heading, pitch, heel, but m add filters so that ais, mwv and gps are ignored and taken from quark instead (if it's working) But can the quark actually do ad-hoc?

[bobmor99]

Sean, thanks for the response and guidance.
Some terminology is still confusing for me but everything's working.

Quark has 2 wifi modes, Ad-hoc and Station. In ad-hoc mode, quark's IP address is fixed and it can only accept connections - like a server mode, I guess. 
Station mode seems to equate to a client mode. In this mode Quark can connect to an access point (tinypilot) but use a self-assigned, fixed IP address (e.g. 192.168.14.25) for itself. Station mode config includes specifying a port (I left the default, 2000).

Quark connects to access point pypilot as 192.168.14.25, port 2000. I don't believe anything is delivered to tinypilot from quark on this connection.
AO has inbound connection from 192.168.14.25 (quark) on port 2000 and receives all of quark's output.
AO has inbound/outbound connection with tinypilot on port 20220. Through it, autopilot info is sent to tinypilot along with GPS info received from quark. Pitch, roll and heading messages are sent from tinypilot to AO

Hope to get everything reinstalled and final-tested on the boat as soon as weather permits.